


All So Very Fairytale

by Toppbanana



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fairy Tales, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-05
Updated: 2014-05-05
Packaged: 2018-01-22 02:36:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1573001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toppbanana/pseuds/Toppbanana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor pricks his finger on a strange plant. With the help of three woman, Rose has to wake him from a hundred year slumber.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All So Very Fairytale

The Doctor had warned her not to take any apple related food items from strangers. He informed her that, with the exceptions of a few special occasions, there was a strict midnight curfew. As they passed a local man advertising trips and vacations, he told her to avoid any of the “Pleasure Island” packages unless she wanted to make a complete arse of herself. He mentioned that even though they were highly impractical (“Not a single pocket, Rose! How are you supposed to carry your glasses or sonic screwdriver?”), red cloaks were very stylish. While walking past what appeared to be a marina of sorts, he advised her not to sign any contracts and such, from anyone, especially if she had to give up something in order for the contract to work. However, while walking through the gardens and explaining that many different species of flora, the Doctor managed to prick his finger on the thorn of a strange looking flower before he could finish his warning. With a yelp, the Doctor collapsed into a heap on the ground.

“Doctor!” Rose exclaimed, dropping to her knees to cradle his head in her lap. “Doctor, what happened? What’s wrong?” nothing happened, “Doctor, wake up! Please! Come on, it’ll be okay.” The last part was more of an attempt to comfort herself. Tears pooled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks while she frantically looked around for someone to help her. Thankfully, she saw three women crossing a bridge just ahead.

“Help! Please, can you help me!” she cried out towards the women. Startled, they turned to look at Rose, then back at each other briefly before running down a set of stairs towards her and the lifeless Doctor.

“What happened, dear child?” the tallest asked, voice filled with concern.

“My friend was telling about the flowers here, then one of them must have done something to him because after touching one, he collapsed.”

“Which flower did he touch?” the shortest woman inquired.

Not daring to move the Doctor from her lap in fear that something worse would happen, she raised a shaking hand and pointed over towards the culprit. The three women went to examine the spot to which Rose had pointed. Simultaneously, the three of them gasped, “It can’t be! It’s not possible!” They turned back to Rose with grim looks on their faces.

“It seems your friend has pricked his finger on the Malafa-Spindle flower,” whispered the third woman, “It has been banned on this planet for hundreds of years.”

“Is he going to be alright? Please, tell me he will be okay,” pleaded Rose, gently stroking the Doctor’s hair.

The women looked at each other looking even graver. “I’m afraid the toxin is fatal.” The first woman said sadly.

Rose clutched the Doctor’s body to her own, rocking back and forth, letting her tears fall onto his pale, freckled cheeks. Abruptly, Rose looked up to the trio, who had begun to weep softly into handkerchiefs.

“He didn’t regenerate,” she whispered, “He didn’t regenerate!” The three women looked at her, confused, “He’s a time lord! Regeneration is a little trick they have, sorta cheat death, if their body had been badly damaged,” Rose recalled her previous Doctor bursting into sparks; hope was beginning to flare in her chest. “If he were dying, he would be all glowing and sparks and stuff!”

“Look,” the shortest yelled, pointing at the Doctor’s chest, “He’s still breathing! The toxin would have long killed him by now!”

Rose looked down, and sure enough, his chest was indeed rising and falling, but very slowly as if he were in a deep sleep.

“We have to get him to some place safe, where we can observe him and possibly research about the plant.” The first said.

“All of the literature about the flower has been destroyed.” The third said.

“The TARDIS, we need to take him to the TARDIS! It has a place for him to lie down, a library with more books than you can imagine, from all over the universe, and it’s the safest place I have ever known!” Rose exclaimed.

“Well, let’s hop to it, child! We need to move him as fast as possible, I have no idea how the toxin is effecting him, and not a single idea about how something like this works with a Time Lord.” The shortest of the three said firmly, giving herself a little shake and placing her small hands above the Doctor. The other two did the same, and the Doctor began to rise slowly; Rose would have screamed, but her voice somehow managed to catch in her throat.

“We’re Spricans,” said the tallest woman with a slight smile at Rose’s shocked expression, “we’re similar to nymphs or fairies in Earth tales; we can do enchantments and charms to help and protect. I’m Lilac, by the way, and these are my sisters: Merriweather and Willow.” Lilac had silver-blonde hair and wore a light pink dress with a blush-pink cloak. Merriweather was the shortest and wore a dress similar to her sister’s only it was sky blue with a bright yellow cloak, which seemed to make her rich red hair stand out even more, and Willow wore a dress of dark green with a brown cloak that matched her chocolate coloured hair. They all had their hair pulled back with various flowers throughout, and each of them had a unique silver band tattooed onto their wrists.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Rose, and this is the Doctor.”

Rose led them back to the TARDIS, ignoring the bewildered looks on the Spricans’ faces as she turned the key and stepped aside letting them ins. She ushered them down the corridor to the first door, praying for it to be the infirmary or the Doctor’s bedroom.

It was a bedroom alright, but she wasn’t sure if it was the Doctor’s bedroom. It was bright with a silver and pale blue canopy bed dominating the room. There was a plush chair next to the bed, a table of various fruits, sweets, and wine was next to a set of double doors, which was discovered to lead to the library. Looking up at the ceiling, Rose noticed it appeared to not exist, instead showing the blues, pinks and oranges of a setting sun. Lilac, Willow, and Merriweather gently laid the Doctor on the bed and hurried off to the library leaving Rose sitting in the chair next to the bed caressing the Doctor’s limp hand. She examined his long fingers and noticed a spot of blood on his index finger. She swept it away with her thumb, tears pricking her eyes. Some time later (the sun on the ceiling had fully set and now stars were beginning to surface), the sisters returned.

“Is he going to be alright?” Rose asked, failing to hide the desperation in her voice.

“Well, there is good news and bad news,” Willow stated, “Good news is, that over time, the poison had been weakening due to the lack of proper pollination. There is a high chance it is the only Malefa-Spindle flower left in existence, therefore no cross-pollination, which weakens the toxin to the point of no longer causing death.”

Roses’ heart soared, “That’s great!”

“However,” Willow continued, “the toxin is still strong enough to put the victim into a coma-like sleep for a hundred years.”

Rose’s chest constricted to the point where she couldn’t breath; a hundred years! That would be nothing for the Doctor, but she wouldn’t live anywhere near that long. “Is there anything we can do? Speed things up? An antidote? There must be something!” she rose to her feet, not letting go of the Doctor’s hand.

“I’m afraid not, my dear Rose. The prick of the Malefa-Spindle flower is ancient, and no cure has ever been found. It started out as the harmless spindle flower. Our ancestors used to grow it for its healing properties, but the simplicity was combined with darkness and hatred. A high priestess bred it with the deadly Malefa vine in order to use it as a weapon against all who angered her. The king ordered the destruction of spindles, Malefas, and their high-bred after the death of his family and people. Ever since their destruction, no one has so much as spoke of them. The children think they are only a myth.” Lilac explained.

“Look, I’m really sorry about all that, I am, but there has to be something we can do! There just has to be!” Rose begged, tears blinding her and streaming down her face.

“Rose, I’m sorry. I am so sorry,” Willow said softly taking a step towards her, “There’s no- wait, there might have been…I may have read something in that exquisite library. In all my years, I’ve never seen something quite like it. Books from across the universe you said?” Rose nodded. “Well, do not lose hope! If there is any way to fix this, it will be in that library!”

“You two go ahead; I’ll sit with Rose for awhile.” Merriweather smiled comfortingly at Rose passing her a handkerchief while the others left for the Library.

Rose sat on the edge of the bed next to the Doctor, his hand enclosed in both of hers. Merriweather brought Rose a glass of wine and a bowl of cool water with a cloth in it. Rose muttered her thanks and took a sip of the dark red liquid. It was sweet, and instantly filled her with warmth and hope.

“BeteetBelle wine, it will make you feel better, calms you down.” Merriweather explained. “There is no need to fret, sweet Rose. My sisters and I will work our magic and get your Doctor back to you.” Rose smiled as she wrung out the cloth and gently patted it along the Doctor’s forehead; it smelled faintly floral.

 “How long have you and your Doctor been married?” Merriweather asked warmly.

Rose laughed a little, “Not married. Just mates, me and him. We travel together, that’s all.”

“Ah, forgive me! So, your offspring must be beautiful! What are their names?” Merriweather asked with friendly curiosity.

“No, no, no! No offspring! Friends, we are just friends!” Rose giggled.

“I don’t believe that for a second! There is love in your eyes; a kind of love that’s rare and true, and I am sure he shares the same look in his eyes. That kind of love is not shared between just friends traveling together.”

They were both silent for a while. Rose continued to hold the Doctor’s hand and stroke his hair while humming softly. His chest was still slowly rising and falling, Rose brought her hand from his hair down to the right side of his chest then to the left; both hearts were still beating, slowly, but still beating.

“Merriweather, we may have found something, come quick!” cried Willow from the library.

“I’ll be back shortly.” She grasped Rose’s shoulder reassuringly then dashed into the library, the doors closing softly behind her.

Rose was left alone with the Doctor. Her fingers grazed the sides of his face: the apples of his cheeks, the line of his jaw, his sideburns. She was trying every possible way to commit his face to memory as if this would be the last time she would ever see him. She let her mind drift to earlier that day when they were wandering through the town hand in hand.

The Doctor was pointing out the various castles on the hillside and illuminating on the people and creature of the planet. They walked through a crowded marketplace where a frail old woman in a black cloak had offered Rose a shiny red apple, claiming it would make all her dreams come true. The Doctor clutched Rose’s hand tighter and pulled her away from the woman.

“If anyone here offers you an apple, and apple tart, apple strudel, apple sauce, apple chap stick, anything apple, you politely decline and run for your life. The apples here can be deadly, and some people use them to take advantage of the strong, the powerful, the rich, the beautiful…”The Doctor sniffed and trailed off.

“How very Snow White of them!” tittered Rose with her tongue caught between her teeth. The Doctor smiled down at her with a wink.

He also informed her how everyone needs to be home before midnight. Rose pictured Cinderella running down a staircase, losing her glass slipper on the stairs, trying to catch her pumpkin coach. “Will their clothes turn to rags and carriages into pumpkins?” Rose laughed.

“Something like that. The moonlight at midnight is powerful here and can cause serious damage.”

They continued their way through the town, the Doctor pointing out things here and there, “These beans can grow hundreds of feet tall, and that necklace can steal the songs of the most beautiful voices.”

“This place is all so very fairytale, Doctor!”

Suddenly, Rose was jolted back into the present where she was holding a comatose Doctor’s hand. This entire town was like a real life fairytale; the poison apples, being home by midnight, a finger being pricked by a spindle putting them into a deep sleep until…

“And from this slumber you shall wake, when true love’s kiss, the spell shall break.” She whispered to herself looking down at the Doctor. Would it even work? This wasn’t a spell cast by and evil witch; it was the toxin from a plant. Then she heard the singsong voice of Merriweather in the back of her head: “There’s love in your eyes, a kind of love that’s rare and true.”

Her heart was hammering against her chest. It was worth a shot; it couldn’t get any worse. She gazed down at the Doctor’s relaxed face. His lashes were fanned out across his freckle dusted cheek and his lips were parted ever so slightly. Taking a deep breath and lightly caressing his face, she slowly leaned down until she was hovering over his lips with her own; she could feel the soft breaths escaping his parted mouth. Very lightly, Rose touched her lips to his. She leaned back-nothing had happened. Her stomach dropped. She leaned in again and pressed her lips a little harder against his. All of a sudden, his lips started to mold to hers, his arms snaked around her back, effectively pulling her into him.

Rose gasped and pulled back to see the bright brown eyes of the Doctor fluttering open and looking into her eyes, a wide smile spread across his face.

“Hello,” he breathed.

“Hello.”  Rose smiled.

“My Rose,” He whispered voice full of awe.

“My Doctor,” she sighed heavily. The Doctor cupped her cheeks, sweeping his thumb across to catch a fallen tear and pulled her down for another tender kiss.

Rose’s brain was swimming. He was alive, he was awake, and he was kissing her! Emotions flowing over, her hot tears ran fully down her cheek, she let out a sob against the Doctor’s lips.

“Hey, hey, what is it? What’s wrong?” The Doctor’s voice was thick with concern.

“I thought I’d lost you, thought I would never see you again, thought I would never hear your voice again! When Lilac, Merriweather, and Willow told me you were just sleeping after I thought…after I thought you’d died,” Rose managed to choke out, “I felt so relieved! Then they said you would be asleep for a century! I died a thousand deaths!”

“Shh, I’m here, always here. I’m awake, and very much alive.” He murmured into her hair, wrapping his arms protectively around her. “I’m so sorry, Rose.” He kissed the top of her head.

They stayed like this until Rose’s tears had stopped and her breathing had returned to normal. “I was sitting with you, thinking about earlier today, and how everything was so similar to the fairy tales I read when I was little. Snow White, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Pinocchio, Little Red Riding Hood,” she said softly into his neck, “and then I though of Sleeping Beauty, it was my favourite. If there were other things like fairy tales here, who was to say Sleeping Beauty connections wouldn’t be. I had nothing to lose, and everything to gain.”

The Doctor gently pulled her chin up to look in her eyes. “When true love’s kiss, the spell shall break.” He recited, eyes sparkling. Their lips touched again, tenderly at first; still testing each other, then something changed; a desperate passion took over, deepening the kiss. Both were so happy the other was alive, the fear of loss gone, but not forgotten. The thought of the other not being there made them cling to each other even more.

Rose swept her tongue across the Doctor’s lower lip and he sighed deeply into her mouth. Her tongue invaded his mouth where he met it with his own and battled for dominance. Using this to his advantage, the Doctor rolled Rose underneath him and began to pepper kisses along her jaw line and down to where he lightly sucked on her pulse point. Rose gasped and fisted her hands into his hair. She felt him smile against her neck before coming back to cover her mouth with his.

“Rose! Rose, you need to kiss him! You need to kiss the Doctor! There is a chemical released when you kiss someone you love that will counteract the toxin!” cried Merriweather bursting into the room followed by Willow and Lilac. “Rose, is everything- I…oh…” all three women looked from the bed to each other and smiled, silently backing out the door into the library, closing it with a click that went unheard by the two other people left in the room.


End file.
